The Student led visits were the highlight this month. It was so rewarding to watch all the children presenting lessons to their parents and their joy and excitement was unmatched! 

May was all about oceans. We talked about the five oceans and their location. We also discussed the plants and animals briefly. We talked about gills and how some animals need to come to the surface of the ocean to breath. 

We conducted a saltwater vs. freshwater experiment. We used a raw egg and talked about what would happen to the egg when we put it in fresh water as opposed to saltwater. 

We explored the different ocean zones and the animals that live in each zone. We learnt about various invertebrates and vertebrates that live in the ocean and discussed a starfish and whale in some detail. We also learnt about different types of whales and introduced the “whale size” activity. This activity helps them get a visual of how big the whales really are. 
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As always, the older children in the classroom are helping our new students settle into their new environment :-)

We had visitors from Aegis assisted living in our classroom and the children were wonderful with them! They read stories and talked to them and it looked like our visitors really enjoyed their time with the children.

The Reptile man visited MCH this month and the children had a blast learning the different reptiles. They were thrilled about touching the different animals! They got to see an African turtle, an Iguana, a Savannah Monitor Lizard from Africa, an American Alligator, an Amazon tree boa, a Rattle snake, a King cobra, and a python! 

Next month we will learn about different visual art forms focusing on a few famous painters.

April was about Biomes! We travelled through Deserts, tropical and Temperate Rainforests. 

We discussed the food chain of a Desert ecosystem and learnt about how cacti survive without water and other animals adapt to the hot and dry climate.

Although there are no Tropical Rainforests in North America, we did learn a little bit about the Amazon Rainforest and discussed the food chain, plants, and animals. We also talked about the layers of the Rainforests and discuss why animals in the Rainforests live on different layers. Then, we travelled closer to home to the temperate Rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. We discussed the forests and talked about conifers and deciduous trees.

We have had a lot of food preparation work on our Practical Life shelves this month. The children have been busy peeling, chopping, and slicing! Their favorite activity easily - juicing oranges! Thank you, wonderful parents, for donating the fruits and vegetables! 

Our Spring showcase was so fun! I am glad most of you were able to make it. Your children gave quite a performance! The Children also grooved to Eric Ode’s music at our annual Earth Day concert. 

In art, Ms. Michelle did a very exciting project with the children. She talked to them about Michelangelo and then all the children got a chance to experience what painting on the “ceiling” feels like. 

Next month we will learn all about our oceans, layers of ocean and animals of the ocean biome.

In March, we explored food chains in different ecosystems like mountains, ponds and oceans. We also learnt about what would happen if one of the components of a food chain disappeared and discussed how deeply every living thing in an ecosystem was connected. 

To understand decomposition, we took a trip to the nature trail to look for worms! We looked at parts of a worm and observed the process of decomposition in the classroom. 
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We began our biomes of North America with an introduction to biomes. We simplified the abstract concept by discussing things like temperature, what grows there and animals that adapt to live in a Biome. We learnt about the Tundra biome and how the animals in the tundra adapt to survive in the harsh climate. 

We ended our study about the Tundra with the “blubber “experiment. The children learnt how the polar bears survive in the Tundra with the help of fat called blubber. We also started learning about the desert biome and will continue the study when we are back from spring break. We had special visitors from the Asia Pacific Cultural Center. The children had the opportunity to experience music and dance from Thailand! They learnt how to write their names and dressed up in their traditional clothing:-).

​In Art, Ms. Michelle explored using different textures to paint with the children. She used Eric Carle’s paintings as an inspiration. She also guided the children to create beautiful ballet dancer themed art inspired by French artist Edgar Degas. We said our sad good byes to Ryan as he is moving to another different city. We will miss him! 

Next month we will continue to explore the deserts and forests of North America. 

We had a busy February here at Lila! February began with celebrations as we celebrated birthdays and more! We also used Valentine’s Day as an excuse to talk about love, friendship, and kindness. 

We began our study about ecosystems with discussion about the different components of an eco-system – producers, consumers, and decomposers, population and community. The children were particularly intrigued about the process of decomposition. We discussed worms, parts of a worm and observed what would happen to food scraps if left out undisturbed for a long time. We then went on to discuss mold. We also discussed food chains and food webs. 

Ms. Michelle guided the children to create their beautiful Winter Olympics-inspired art. In Music, Ms. Amy has been teaching the children a beautiful new song written by her. 
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Next month, we will continue with eco systems and begin our study about Biomes of North America.

January was all about the Solar System in Lila.

We took some time to review grace and courtesy and classroom rules after winter break and then dived right into the much-awaited study about our Solar System! We began our study with a discussion about stars and constellations. We read books about stars and constellations and the children traced some of the common constellations. 

We learnt about the different phases of moon. The children made their own “phases of moon” chart. The children worked with a hands on Solar System material that gave them a visual sense of the position of different planets and the size of the planets. 

We learnt that Jupiter was the biggest planet and mostly made of gas and many other fascinating facts. We also discussed astronauts, what they wear, their training and life in a space craft. The children were very excited to work with the Falcon 9 model and parachute. We also discussed the parts of a space shuttle. 

We welcomed a new student to the classroom. Our kindergarteners have been wonderful mentors to Alvin. In Spanish, Mr. Shawn reviewed names of vegetables and animals and taught us names of all the planets in Spanish. 

In Art, Ms. Michelle helped the children create “Matisse” inspired art and guided them to create beautiful solar system art pieces. We had visitors from Aegis Assisted living this month. The purpose of the visit was to provide them with an opportunity to interact with little children. It was beautiful to watch the children showing them the materials and chatting with them! 

Next month we will revisit ecosystems and learn about the food chain. I look forward to seeing all of you at 
conferences!

In December, we learnt about “what animals do in winter”.

We discussed how some animals migrate to warmer places, some grow fur and remain active and adapt while some go into a deep sleep and hibernate. We read a few books in which the main characters did different things during winter time to survive.

This month we brought out the “tea pouring” work and the children practiced their fine motor skills while enjoying a good conversation with a friend! We brewed organic decaf peach tea for the children and set it up on a tray with a teapot and cups and the children poured some for themselves.

​We always spend some time in December learning about the different holidays celebrated around the world during this time of the year. This month we talked about; Las posadas, Hanukkah, kwanza, St. Lucia’s Day and Christmas. We discussed special traditions and food. We bid farewell to Mateo, who is moving to Texas. We will all miss him!

The last day before winter break was extra special as we celebrated with hot chocolate with whipped cream😊. A big Thank You to all the parents who helped with the ingredients! 

In Spanish, Mr. Shawn introduced the children to vegetables in Spanish and reviewed colors and animals. Ms. Michelle guided the children in making beautiful clay ornaments. I am sure you all loved your special holiday present! 

I hope you all have a wonderful winter break! I will see you all in January:-) Happy New Year!

November’s rainy start formed a perfect backdrop for our study of weather! We began with describing the different kinds of weather that we may come across on a day to day basis. We also talked about the weather that we usually experience in different seasons like mostly sunny in summer and rainy and snowy in winter. 
We discussed the water cycle and how it is connected to the weather and also observed the different kinds of clouds. 

This month we started making daily observations about the current weather and tracking it. We have 5 jars in the classroom; sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy and snowy and everyday one child looks outside and tells us what the weather is like and then he/she puts a bead in the corresponding jar. We will be graphing this information at the end of every month so the children can get a visual about how the weather changes through the months. We also talked about ecosystems and how living and nonliving things together create an ecosystem.

The highlight of this month was Dr. Margaret Read MacDonald’s visit to MCH. She read us a few of her books and kept the children engaged with her performance and songs. It was a very interactive storytelling session and the children talked about it the whole day. 

A big thank you to all the parent volunteers for volunteering to read in the classroom. The children really enjoyed these sessions! 

We have been doing morning yoga in Lila for three months now and it is amazing to watch the children stand and begin the routine by themselves the moment I turn on the music in the morning. 

In Spanish, Mr. Shawn went over the colors, names if animals and days of the week. In Art, Ms. Michelle guided the children to create beautiful winter landscapes! 

Our Thanksgiving lunch with “friendship salad” was wonderful especially since the children (each one of them) were involved in prepping the fruits. We mixed it in a large bowl and served it during lunchtime. 
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Our Hopelink Basic Needs Drive provided a great opportunity to talk about giving and what it means to help those who are less fortunate. 

Next month we will talk about winter and “where do animals go in winter”. We will also take a journey around the world to see how everyone celebrates the Holidays! 

Reminders: 
-Please email Ms. Julie at the office and copy me if your child is going to stay home, be late or needs to leave early. I usually do not check my emails between 8.40 a.m. – 3.30 p.m. 
-Do have your child bring a waterproof jacket to school for Rainy days. We almost always go out unless it is pouring down and down jackets are not that great for rainy days.

October was all about our home “Planet Earth”. 
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We started out with discovering "our place in space" beginning with the big picture; Solar system and moving on to earth, our continent, WA state and figured out where we are in all of this. We talked about why our home “earth” is special and how water and atmosphere and distance from Sun make it “just right” for us to live on earth. 

We went on to study the layers of the earth and we had very engaged and interactive group time lessons! Our special work on the shelf this month; Felt circles of different colors to represent the different layers of the earth, helped the children understand this abstract concept better. We briefly discussed the 4 major oceans, the biggest ocean and the smallest ocean. We also explored different landforms like mountains, valleys and plateaus through books and pictures. 

A big Thank You to our parent volunteers for bringing pumpkins for us! We carved our pumpkins together and the children decided on the shape of eyes, mouth and how many of those each of the pumpkins should have!! They also voted to come up with a name- Mr. Scary Pumpkin! We cut one of the pumpkins open during our circle lesson and looked at the different parts of a pumpkin. 

Our study about Rocks started with a walk to our Nature trail and collecting sedimentary and igneous rocks! We looked at books and pictures and discussed the features and origins of these rocks. 
This month, the children were thrilled when they got to opportunity to interact with Fire fighters from Redmond Fire Rescue team. The firefighters talked to them about their equipment and about what to do in case of fire. We also had our first earthquake drill this month! We talked about covering our heads and staying away from the windows during an earthquake. 

Ms. Michelle worked with the children on various art projects like stamping art and beautiful sunflower craft inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. 

Ms. Amy sang songs about fall and leaves changing color, Harvest time and also made music with Boom whackers discussing high notes and low notes and rhythm. Lila children also enjoyed their first Spanish lesson with Mr. Shawn! 

Next month we will begin our study about Weather and elements of Eco System. 
It was so nice to see you at the Harvest Festival, I hope you had a fun time! 
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Reminders: 
- Please email me and copy Ms. Julie at the office if your child is going to stay home, be late or needs to leave early. 
- Its getting rainy and cold so remind your child to bring a rain jacket to school.

​We welcomed new friends into our classroom and they are settling in well and the returning children are getting an opportunity to mentor and help the younger children.

In September, we reviewed grace and courtesy and safety. We talked about classroom rules and making friends. We learnt about " introducing ourselves". The children volunteered to participate in simple skits where they enacted an introduction scene:-)

The children also practiced how to move the chairs and tables in the classroom in a safe manner. We talked about putting things away in their spot and practiced how to walk safely in line.

We started a discussion about our feelings and we practiced conflict resolution through skits during circle. We got an introduction to the “zones of regulation” and talked about how we can assign a color to how we feel and different ways of expressing our feelings

On September 21st we sang “Sing Peace around the World” to celebrate International Day of Peace and we also talked about what peace means to them and I got some beautiful responses:-)

In Science, we talked about the changing season and autumn equinox. During circle I tried explaining the very abstract concept of how the earth goes around the sun and results in changing seasons.

The Kindergarteners had their first K-El crossover event and were super excited to meet their buddies.
In October, we will talk about our place on the map and begin our study of our planet Earth and talk about rocks.

A couple of reminders:
- Please email me or Ms. Julie at the office if your child is going to stay home, be late or needs to leave early.
- It's getting rainy and cold so remind your child to bring a rain jacket to school.

I look forward to meeting all of you during the conferences!

Hello Lila Parents,

May was full of events here in Lila. It was great to see you all at the student led visit last month. The children were so excited to “show and teach” you some of the lessons they have been working on in the classroom.
The sunny days were a great excuse for us to eat picnic lunches on the Lila Patio and visits to the nature trail!
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Our classroom ladybugs and butterflies made it through their metamorphosis and we released them back into nature. The whole process of caring for them and watching them grow was a great learning experience for the children. They were sad to let them go but also understood why they had to be let go.

We continued with our study of the Human body with an introduction to our “Skin”. We talked about the layers of skin and the functions of our skin. We also went into details about the process of Condensation and Precipitation.

In Art, Ms. Michelle built on some of her earlier lessons and did some mixed media art with the children.

In Spanish, the children are learning the names of the different parts of the body and the children absolutely love the song “Baila Baila” that Ms. Sonja has been teaching them.

In Music, Ms. Amy has been teaching them the song “Peace like a River”. The children are learning the song and practicing it with sign language.

In June, we will talk about Nutrition and bring our yearlong learning about the human body to conclusion. We will also talk about the changing season and “Summer”.  In Botany, we will continue our study of the parts of the plant and focus on “fruit”.

Can’t believe we are almost towards the end of school year! The year has really flown by!

I look forward to seeing you all at the Carnival in June.